


you're the best thing that ever happened to me

by CharlotteDaBookworm



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: (that one is a very long way out considering he's like 1 now), Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adoption, Adorable Prompto Argentum, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Nyx Ulric, BAMF Prompto Argentum, Eventual Relationships, Family Fluff, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Galahdian Culture (Final Fantasy XV), Gen, Good Dad Nyx Ulric, M/M, Nyx Ulric Lives, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Nyx Ulric, Parent-Child Relationship, Prompto Argentum is a Ray of Sunshine, Prompto Ulric AU, Teenage Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-02-08 19:12:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18629527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlotteDaBookworm/pseuds/CharlotteDaBookworm
Summary: Scrambling for his phone, Nyx couldn’t help the dopey grin on his face. “I’m adad,” he said the moment that the call connected, not giving the other person on the line time to speak.“What, you finally figured that out?”Or: a teenage Nyx accidently acquires a baby. then he accidently adopts said baby. things sorta spiral out from there





	1. Phoning Home

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own FFXV. The title for this fic comes from Tom Walkers 'Just You & I'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx makes a series of phone calls, Libs regrets right up until he doesn't, Ulric's are all crazy, and Prom is as adorable as ever

***

“ _…_ ”

 

“Libs?” He said quietly into the phone that was shoved awkwardly between his shoulder and his ear because his hands were full. How did his mum make this look so easy?

 

A yawn came across the line. “ _Nyx?”_ His brother asked, another yawn breaking up the words. “ _Why are you calling me at 2 in the morning? Did something happen? Are you alright?”_ There was worry beginning to overwhelm the confusion in his voice and Nyx rushed to reassure him.

 

“No, no, I’m fine, everything’s fine.” He paused, shuffling the dead weight in his arms into a more comfortable position as he tried to figure out what to say. “I’d like to start by saying that none of what happened was my fault-”

 

Libs groaned. “Ramuh _, Nyx, what did you do?”_

 

Nyx continued as if he hadn’t spoken, completely unoffended by the words. “But I found something in the labs while on my mission and he was so _tiny_ and surrounded by wires in a _cage_ , Libs, a _cage_ because they were experimenting on him and I couldn’t just let that happen and _leave_ him there, so I took him with me and…”

 

“ _Nyx_.” He said sharply, cutting through his babble.

 

“I _may_ ,” he stressed, looking down at the gently breathing bundle against his chest. “may have stolen a baby? Toddler? I don’t know how old he is, what records I could find were really incomplete and I grabbed them anyway cos I didn’t have all that time before the lab blew but they aren’t really useful an-”

 

“ _Nyx!”_ Libertus snapped and he froze, eyes locked on the kid in his arms. “ _You_ _stole a baby_.”

 

“ **They weren’t taking care of him properly**!”

 

A sigh and Nyx could almost imagine him dragging his hand down his face. “ _You stole a baby and blew up the labs you found him in, labs you weren’t even supposed to be_ near _.”_ He said and Nyx hummed an affirmative, not quite able to regret his actions even though he now had a kid to look after. He couldn’t have left the kid there, not after seeing how they were treating him. No-one, especially a kid, deserved that. Ever. “ _Nyx, do you even know how to look after a baby_?”

 

_“No_ ,” He breathed, panic flaring at the reminder that he had no idea what the fuck he was doing. He hardly remembered Selena at this age, and he was _alone_ on the mainland and how the hell was he supposed to take care of a kid? “That’s why I called you. I have a toddler – I _think,_ he’s about the same size as Leo’s youngest and she’s about a year old right? And isn’t that technically a toddler? Or are they still babies at that age? – sleeping on my chest and I don’t know what to do or what I need to take care of him and I just. _Help_ , Libs.”

 

There was a muttered curse on the other side of the line and then a scrambling around, like Libs was getting out of bed – and Nyx felt a small flare of guilt for waking him up so early, but he needed Libs’ help right now and he would forgive him eventually – and looking for something. “ _Okay,”_ Libs said calmly, and Nyx relaxed a fraction instinctively at the tone; Libs was helping, everything would be fine. _“This is what you’re definitely going to need…”_

 

***

 “You know I love you, right?”

 

He could _feel_ the look directed at him through the phone after the question from two continents away, knowing it was the same look that his mother always gave him when he asked – exasperation and joy and love all merging together, softening her sharp eyes.

 

It made him smile.

 

_“Yes, Nyx, I know. And I love you too. Now, what do you want?”_

 

“Oi!” He exclaimed quietly, fluttering his arms about dramatically. The kid watched him with solemn, wary eyes from his place on the sleeping bag. Nyx had already found out that he reacted badly to loud noises and had been doing his best to minimise them. “How dare you insinuate that I wouldn’t call my mother just to tell her that I love her!” He said, mock offended but keeping his voice low.

 

She laughed, just as he hoped she would.

 

The kid didn’t react at all. Nyx pouted at him. A blink was all he got but he’d take it.

 

“ _Oh, I have no doubt that you would. But you’re supposed to be busy and you wouldn’t be calling unless you needed something, or you were dying. And it better not be that you’re dying, Nyx of Clan Ulric, or I swear to the Stormsender and to the Tidemother that I will find a way to pull you from Etro’s embrace just so I can kill you myself before grounding you for the rest of eternity, baby boy.”_

 

“Not dying! I’m not dying!” He yelped, shivering at the threat – and it _was_ a threat – in his mother’s voice. “But, well, ‘baby boy’ might have something to do with why I’m calling you.”

 

A pause.

 

Nyx took a moment to smile at said baby boy, nudging the teddy bear – a cheap chocobo one that he’d been unable to resist picking up when buying the rest of the supplies that Libs had said he needed, besides soft toys were supposed to be good for childhood development, Nyx remembered hearing from somewhere, and he totally didn’t buy it just because it was soft and cute – another few centimetres closer to the child who was far too wary of a simple toy.

 

He was trying not to think too hard, at the moment, about what that meant.

 

His mother hummed, drawing half of his attention back to the phone. The rest stayed focused on trying to get the kid to look at the chocobo. _“This is about your child, the one that Libertus said you rescued up two days ago then.”_ There was a pointed hidden statement in there about how he should have called her sooner. Which was a fair point.

 

It was true. Nyx should have called her yesterday, at least.

 

“He’s not _mine_ , I’m just looking after him until I can drop him off somewhere safe, but yeah – I really need some help mum.”

 

Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to ignore the perfectly valid point though. She could yell at him later. Like, when he was at home.

 

Also, why did she think that he was _his_ kid? He was _fifteen_. Yeah, he liked the little guy, and he wanted him to be happy – but the kid would do perfectly fine with a family along the coast. There were loads of mix-blooded families in the towns around there so the kid wouldn’t stand out even if that bright blond didn’t fade and the orphanage there – well, it was nice. Not perfect, but nice. And he was young enough and cute enough to get adopted easily enough. Maybe he could even visit when the kid was a little older, keep track of him. Make sure he was happy.

 

Nyx just. He wanted the kid to be safe and happy.

 

He told his mum that, and the rest of his plans, and he ignored the bitter taste that they left on his tongue because it was the _truth_. He was going to drop the kid off in the orphanage and go home because he was fifteen and _this wasn’t his kid_. In his frustration, he ended up wiggling the chocobo instead of nudging it any closer only to freeze when the kid _stilled_.

 

Ever so slowly, he wiggled the chocobo again, more slowly this time, and a tiny hand inched out to brush against soft fur.

 

The kid smiled – just a tiny thing, his eyes fixed on the toy, but it made Nyx want to leap with joy.

 

Instead, he cleared his throat softly. “Sorry mum,” he muttered, watching as the chocobo was pulled ever so slightly closer to the kid. “I didn’t catch any of that, could you repeat it.”

 

She sighed and Nyx had the strangest impression that she was shaking her head at him but he had no idea why. “ _What do you need help with?”_

 

_What?_ _Help?_ Watching the kid finally interact with the teddy, it took a moment for the words to process and for him to remember what it was he wanted to ask.

 

“Oh, yeah, right. I need some tips for travelling with a toddler, right now I’m just carrying him but it’s awkward and I’m not exactly in safe territory here.”

 

***

“What do you think about the name Prometheus?”

 

_“…”_

 

Nyx frowned, carefully pulling the phone away from his ear – trying not to jolt the sleeping toddler burrowed into his side awake – to double check that the call had actually connected. It had. “Libs?” He asked quietly. “You there?”

 

_“…Yeah. Why are you asking me about names at two in the morning?”_

 

He blushed, glad that Libs couldn’t see him, and looked away from the phone. His gaze fell on the blond head at his side, cuddling his plush chocobo, and he smiled without thinking about it. “The kid – he needs a name. The Nifs, they didn’t give him one and I can’t keep calling him _kid_ like I have been and well. What do you think about Prometheus?”

 

There was another silence and just as Nyx was about to speak up again, not really sure about the connection out here, he heard a heavy sigh and something that was too quiet to properly make out but sounded like _for fuck’s sake Nyx, seriously?_

 

Before he could comment – because what did he do _this time?_ – Libertus spoke up, something both fond and tired in his tone. _“Pretty sure that you’re the thief here Nyx, not the kid.”_

 

Nyx huffed a silent laugh, grinning wildly. “Yeah, I know,” He admitted, not ashamed in the slightest – it wasn’t like that the Nifs hadn’t deserved it, no kid should live like that, and they were lucky that all Nyx did was steal the kid and blow the lab up. It had blown up so beautifully too. “But it’s – Prometheus wasn’t just a thief. The name means forethought and creativity and _life_ , and yeah – a bit of thievery mixed in, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you know. And all of that, what the name means, well. That’s a good legacy for a kid to live by, don’t you think?”

 

_“It’s a good name, Nyx,”_ Libs said slowly. _“It sounds like it suits him. And it’s a family name.”_

 

It was. His great-grandfather had had a brother named for Prometheus. But this wasn’t, he wasn’t…

 

“He’s not mine Libs,” Nyx said, his smile fading, and he looked away from the hand that he had rested against the toddlers back. He was only 15, too young to be a parent, and he was just looking after the kid.

 

When they got close to home, Nyx would make sure that he had a good family to go to and that he was raised happy. “He just needs a name and I’m the only one here, that’s all.”

 

Libs laughed at him. _“If you say so.”_ And then he hung up, the unspoken by implied _you’re an idiot_ echoing in the silence.

 

He rolled his eyes.

 

The kid wasn’t his and he had no idea why everyone kept claiming that he was, but it was irritating. _Really,_ Nyx wasn’t the kid’s dad and why couldn’t anyone understand that?

 

A huff at his side drew his attention and Nyx smiled down at sleepy blue eyes. “Hey, little bird,” he said gently, running a hand against soft hair. “How’d you sleep kiddo?” The kid blinked and he nodded seriously. “Like that huh. I get that. Hey, how’d you like to be called Prometheus?” Another blink was his only response and Nyx took that as an agreement.

 

“Prometheus it is then,” he murmured, ignoring the way that a part of him gloried in the way that the name rolled off of his tongue, and he grinned brightly at the toddler in his lap. “You hungry, Prom?”

 

***

“ _hahahahahahahahahahahahaha-_ ”

 

“…”

 

“- _hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha-”_

 

“…”

 

“- _hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha-”_

“Are you done?” He asked, pulling the phone away from his ear to glare at it. In his lap, Prometheus copies him, and Nyx has to resist the urge to coo at how adorable the kid was. He ruffled his hair instead, chest warm when the kid leaned into the touch.

 

_“-hahahahahaha- Not quite, give me a minute_ ,” she gasped out, “ _hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Hahaha. Ha. Okay, I’m done.”_

 

Nyx rolled his eyes. “Finally.” He huffed.

 

Prom startled, turning to him and blinking big blue eyes up at him. Running a hand down his back, Nyx smiled at him. “It’s okay little bird. Selena’s just being a brat.” He reached over and grabbed Sparkle the Chocobo – and if anyone asked, he was blaming the name on Prom, never mind that he wasn’t talking yet – and handed her to the toddler.

 

“ _Who are you calling a_ _brat, shorty?”_

 

“I’m calling you a brat, _little sister_ , and I’m taller than you now!”

 

Selena scoffed, “ _oh yeah, you finally grew taller than the height of the average 11-year-old girl, congratulations.”_

 

“Brat.”

 

_“Shrimp.”_

He sighed, determined not to sink to her level and keep this going for hours – like he knew they could.  “What do you want?” He asked because she had been the one to call him but hadn’t managed to get a word out past the laughter.

 

_“For you to hurry up and bring my new nephew home already so that I can meet him!”_ She demanded.

 

Nyx sighed again – why did everyone think…? “He’s not my kid, Selena.” He ignored the smile that had half-formed from Selena calling Prom her nephew.

 

_“Yeah, yeah, so you’ve said,”_ she muttered. “ _So, when are you two going to get home?”_

 

“Like I said, Prom isn’t mine,” at the sound of his name, which the kid had picked up on quickly, Prom babbled at him – which was a recent development and one that Nyx loved. “Isn’t that right, little bird. Yes, it is!” He said in response, pulling him close in a hug that the kid melted into. “You aren’t going to meet him ‘Lena, he’ll go to a family on the coast.” Nyx turned back to the conversation with his sister.

 

“ _You’re serious.”_ She said, sounding vaguely shell-shocked, and Nyx frowned. “ _You’re actually serious. Oh,_ Six _, that’s hilarious.”_ And, with that, she broke down into laughter again. _“hahahahahahaha- Mum, he’s actually_ serious _\- hahahahahahahahahahahaha – he’s such a – hahahahahhahahahahahahahaha-.”_

The phone cut off as she hung up _._

 

Confused, Nyx pulled the phone away from his ear to scowl at it. _What was all that about_?

 

And then he jolted as Prom patted his face, babbling at him. Obviously, the kid didn’t like it when Nyx scowled. Shrugging, he shoved the entire conversation to the back of his mind to think about some other time and decided to play with the kid instead.

 

It was probably just Selena being weird again anyway.

 

***

“Come on, little bird, just eat the food, _please_ ,” he begged the normally very agreeable toddler desperately. Prom was scowling at him adorably, turning his head away from the food, and Nyx was near tears. He knew it was a good thing, that Prom was starting to act out, to disagree with him, but he needed to _eat_.

 

“Please, Prom?” Nyx asked but the kid just huffed and refused to open his mouth. “This stuff can’t taste _that_ bad, can’t you just eat it?”

 

All he got in return was a _look_ and some senseless babble that he interpreted to mean _why don’t you eat it then_.

 

Nyx shrugged. It wasn’t like he hadn’t eaten worse things – Nyx doubted it was as bad as the beetle stew. “Alright, then.” He said as he scooped out another spoonful. “If I try it, you’ll eat it, yeah?” Prom babbled at him again and Nyx nodded, sealing the deal and placing the spoon in his mouth without hesitation.

 

He gagged.

 

It _was_ that bad.

 

(And _worse_ than the beetle stew, Six but Libs wasn’t going to believe him, he hadn’t thought anything was as bad as that)

 

“Oh _Ramuh,_ that’s disgusting, what even _is_ that? How do they get away with selling that?” Tossing the spoon aside, Nyx scraped at his tongue – trying to get rid of the taste – and then the kid laughed at his actions and the expression on his face.

 

Nyx froze.

 

Prom hadn’t laughed before, in all of the weeks that Nyx had had him, no matter what silly things he’d done to try to provoke one.

 

The laughter rang adorably around the tent they were in, blue eyes sparkling and a bright smile – slightly awkward, like he wasn’t used to doing so, but a smile nonetheless – set on Prom’s face, and Nyx felt his heart just _melt_ as he looked down at his-

 

-At his son.

 

Oh. _Oh_.

 

Oh **_fuck_**.

 

He had a son. He had a _son_. Prom – Prometheus, who Nyx had _named_ – was his son. He was a dad.

 

_Holy shit, Nyx was a **dad**_.

 

Scrambling for his phone, Nyx couldn’t help the dopey grin on his face. “I’m a _dad_ ,” he said the moment that the call connected, not giving the other person on the line time to speak.

 

_“What, you finally figured that out?”_

 

“ **I’m a dad** _.”_

 

_“Yes, Nyx, we all know that, you’ve been a dad for weeks now, somehow you are the last to know.”_

 

“I’m a dad, Libs!”

 

Libs sighed. _“Well, at least you called during daylight this time,”_ he muttered before speaking more loudly. _“Are you going to say anything but ‘I’m a dad’?”_

 

“I have a _kid_ , Libs,” Nyx breathed, unable able to believe it while also having never been happier. He was a _dad_.

 

A beat wherein the sound of skin against skin echoed down the phone. Libs had just facepalmed. Nyx felt vaguely offended for a moment before it was drowned out by sheer joy. _That’s really not what I meant_ could be faintly heard.

 

Nyx didn’t care, he was a _dad_. “I have a kid and he _smiled_ at me and he’s the cutest thing in the world and he has the most adorable laugh and he’s _my kid_.” The words rang with conviction and joy, something inside him settling.

 

He had a son.

 

Prometheus was his son.

 

Fuck, he was a dad. Nyx was a dad. At fifteen. He was a teen dad. _How did one dad?_ He wondered as panic set in rapidly.

 

“Holy fuhhhh-dge muffins,” He corrected himself rapidly with a glance over to _his kid_ , knowing just how quickly he would pick up words. No swearing in front of the kid, he could do that, that was good dad-ing right? “Libs, I’m a dad. _I’m a dad, I must be the best dad, **how do I dad?**_ ”

 

Libertus choked, his voice shaky when he replied. _“I think you’ve got that bit covered Nyx.”_

 

“Libs! Libs, help me, _tell me how to dad!_ ”

 

Hysterical laughter was his only response.

 

He was not happy, how was he supposed to dad? “That’s not helpful, Libs! _Help me_.”

 

_“You’ll be fine,”_ his _best friend_ said between gales of laughter before he pulled himself together enough to give him an actual response. _“You’re already a dad, you’ve been looking after the kid for weeks, just keep doing what you’re already doing.”_

 

Nyx relaxed a little at the words, panic easing at the reminder that he’d already been doing what he needed to do. He could do this. He could dad.

 

“Okay,” he said, breathing through the remaining panic as he looked at his _son_. “I can do this. I can do this.”

 

He would be the best dad from Prom.

 

_“And hey, Nyx?”_ Libs asked, something _off_ in his tone that Nyx couldn’t quite place.

 

Prom smiled at him again and Nyx smiled back before he remembered that he needed to answer his brother. “…yeah?”

 

**“ _I told you so_ ,”** He said gleefully, cackling, and Nyx jolted as he hung up mid-laugh.

 

He scowled. “That little sh-eeeet,” he muttered angrily, Libs was never going to let this go. Looking back at his kid, he sighed as the anger drained out of him because this was _his kid_ and he was so adorable. “Your uncle Libs is a complete _brat_ , little bird. What do you say to a little payback?” Because if he didn’t act – read, gather appropriate and equal blackmail – then this would be held against him for the rest of his life.

 

Nyx smirked as Prom giggled.

 

Libs would never see this coming. He had the perfect weapon.

 

***

_“How’s my second-favourite grandson?”_

 

“Nana, I’m your only grandson, why am I suddenly your second-favourite.”

 

His nana tutted along the line. _“Not true, not true. You’ve gone and adopted us an even cuter grandson and he’s now our favourite, instead of curly-haired boys who steal biscuits from us.”_

 

_“Nana,_ my hair isn’t curly anymore, stop bringing it up, _”_ he whined, pouting. He made no comment nor promises about the biscuits. “And I can’t believe that you’ve replaced me with my own son – I’ve been betrayed. Betrayed, I tell you, by my own grandmothers. _Betrayed_.” He clutched at his chest, gasping in mock-surprise.

 

Prom giggled at his dramatics, making Nyx feel like the richest person in the world.

 

_“Oh please, Nyx,”_ she scoffed, but her voice was full of laughter. _“You have no room to talk, we all know that little Prometheus is your new favourite.”_

 

“’Course he is,” he said with a grin, cuddling his son – his _son_ , and Nyx didn’t ever think he’d get used to that, he was a _dad_ – close. “Prom’s the most adorable thing ever and Libs will just have to live with not being my favourite anymore.”

 

_“I’m certain young Libertus will be absolutely devastated.”_ Her voice was as dry as the desert – both of them knowing that the moment that Libs met Prom, Prom would be his favourite too.

 

His brother and his big heart were predictable like that.

 

Nyx laughed, bouncing Prom in his arms. “Oh yeah, totally.” A pause, as Nyx tried to figure out how to phrase what he needed to say. “Anyway, I know that this is kind of a rush job and that you’re probably already busy and I really should have asked you earlier than this-”

 

_“You can pick up the papers for a one-year-old Prometheus Ulric from Corvus in two days. He’ll meet you in the ‘Titans Fist’ at Strongmere.”_

 

He blinked. “That’s quick.” Even basic papers took longer than that - especially with including the fact that his nan would need to have them smuggled out of Galahd, what with the borders being watched, and even with her contacts that wasn’t a quick job – and there was no way that his nana would only draw up the basic papers. Not for this.

 

Nana snorted. “ _Please, grandson, I started those papers the moment you called to tell us about your boy. I just had to wait to fill in a first name until you decided on one for him. They’ve been ready for weeks.”_

 

Nyx didn’t know what to say to that. “Corvus – isn’t he Nan’s old cabin boy? The cousin, or something, of her first mate?” He asked instead.

 

“ _You make her sound like a pirate.”_ She sighed. _“But yes, Corvus was a member of her crew.”_

 

“Wasn’t she?” He said, grinning at the huff he got in response. “I mean, she’s a smuggler who worked on and captained a ship. Isn’t that basically the definition of a pirate? Right, Prom?” His kid laughed. “See nana, Prom agrees with me!”

 

_“She’s a smuggler. She’d only be a pirate if they’d attacked and stolen from other ships while at sea_.”

 

“So, essentially exactly what she was doing when you and nan met then.” He muttered before he could stop himself, because mum as a registered hunter actually had the most legal job of the entire family. He’d been fielding ‘are you planning on going straight like your mother’ jokes his entire life.

 

He still wasn’t entirely sure, either. (Apparently being resistance didn’t count).

 

_“What was that?_ ”

 

He yelped, jumping as though she was right next to him instead of back home. “Nothing, nothing.”

 

_“Good. Now, hurry up and bring our great-grandson home – we’d like to actually meet him before he grows up. Also, your boy is looking bored without you to stress over.”_

 

“Libs doesn’t _stress over me_ Nana why would he stress- and… you hung up. Of course, you did.” The phone beeped in his ear, signalling the end of the conversation, and he sighed, turning back to his son. “Guess we better go get your papers, ay little bird. We wouldn’t want anyone thinking that I stole you or anything, right?”

 

And then, home.

 

Introducing his kid to the rest of the family.

 

Nyx couldn’t wait.

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, yeah. first chapter of a prompto ulric fic that will have eventual regis/nyx. this one will - hopefully - be mostly fluff/less angsty than the majority of my works and it will also feature good!titus of some sort (maybe not glauca but most likely just triple agent titus who is converted by the power of prompto)
> 
> anyway, hope you enjoy it and please tell me what you think
> 
> (also holy shit this is my longest chapter ever let me bask in that for a moment)


	2. The Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx is tricked, but in a good way. Old friends are abound. Ulric's are still crazy (and possibly a little Storm-touched). Prompto is, once again, entirely adorable

Nyx blinked as he passed into the hidden bay, catching sight of the ship waiting for him.

 

_Corvus, you sly little shit…_

 

The bastard had tricked him and damn it, but he should have recognised that smile he’d been wearing; it was the same one that Corvus had worn every time he’d fleeced them of all their sweets while playing poker.

 

He was abruptly reminded of the fact that he’d declared Corvus his mortal enemy when he was all of eight years old.

 

Obviously, he’d been a smart kid; the fucker had looked him in the eyes and directed him here and lied right to his face with nothing but that smug little smirk on his lips.

 

_‘A fishing vessel will be there waiting for you to take you home’…_

 

A fishing ship, yeah, _right_. The ship, that grew larger and larger with each step Nyx took into the cove, wasn’t that. Not by any chance.

 

The Ship had been a lot of things in its years of service, but never once a _fishing ship_.

 

He reached out, fingers brushing against the painted hull, and huffed an annoyed laugh as a smile twitched involuntarily at his lips. Storms above, he didn’t want to consider this a nice surprise, but he _did_.

 

And, he decided as he rested his forehead against wood, he was never going to tell Corvus – the utter bastard – that.

 

He’d never hear the end of it.

 

Nyx huffed another laugh, chest shaking, and in his harness his kid – _his kid_ , Nyx still wasn’t over that – stirred. Crystal blue eyes, the same colour as the shallow water beside them, blinked up at him sleepily and he smiled down at his son, grasping one of his tiny hands and touching it to the hull.

 

Prometheus blinked again, tiny fist tapping against the painted wood, and tilted his head to look up at Nyx, confused.

 

His smile widened as he ruffled blond hair with quick fingers. “Welcome to The Ship, little bird,” he said, looking up at the ship that had half-raised two generations of Ulric’s.

 

“Who knows,” came an amused voice from behind him; a hand reaching over his shoulder to ruffle his kid’s hair again. Prom huffed in offence. “Maybe this Ulric will actually have some half-decent sea legs.”

 

“I have sea legs,” Nyx protested, reaching back automatically to pinch the lit fag out, “and don’t smoke around my son.”

 

A laugh. “You’re already such a _dad,_ old man.”

 

He rolled his eyes, turning around. “That must make you _ancient_ then, you old hag, since you have at least three years on me.”

 

Said hag just smirked at him, a second – unlit – cigarette hanging from her lips. “Just means that I’m legally old enough to buy alcohol in Lucis, unlike _you_.”

 

“You say that like I actually drink.”

 

“I know, I know, you’re the disappointment on all of your sea-faring ancestors: a ship raised brat who can’t stand the taste of alcohol. Shame on you.”

 

“But at least I don’t walk around smelling like a rundown bar.” He retorted.

 

She glared at him.

 

He glared back at her.

 

They both burst into laughter.

 

“I’ve missed you, El,” Nyx gasped out as he calmed down. “It’s been ages.”

 

“Visit more often, then. Prove those sea legs of yours,” she said easily in return, the gold of her earrings glinting in the sunlight.

 

“I’ll try,” he said decisively, determined to do so. Because he might not be made for the sea, not like El was, not like the rest of the crew, but that didn’t mean he loved it and this ship any less.

 

El nodded. “Good-”

 

Prometheus batted him on the head with Sparkle.

 

Nyx turned towards his son instantly, lifting him from the harness and holding him up. Prom glared at him. “Oh, I’m sorry little bird, have we been ignoring you?” His kid babbled at him, punctuating his words with pointed jabs of the chocobo. Nyx nodded along seriously. “Yes, you’re right, that was very rude of us and I apologise.” He turned him around. “Prometheus, this is Elpis, but you can call her aunt El; we grew up together. El, this is Prometheus, he’s my kid.”

 

She sent him a look that had dread pooling in his stomach. “Yeah, he is.” _Oh_ , he realised, _damn_. She’d been in contact with- Selena, probably, he wouldn’t put it past his little sister to call up everyone he was friends with to tell them _all_ about it. Nyx swallowed, knowing that he was going to be teased for his – apparent – denial for the rest of his life.

 

 _Fuck_.

 

El crouched down so that she was eye-level with Prom. “Hey Prometheus, sorry we ignored you.” She said and then she reached out and booped his nose.

 

Prom frowned, rearing back a little to stare at her.

 

She stared right back.

 

Turning in his arms, his kid reached out slowly and clumsily booped his fist against Nyx’s nose – with just enough force to make it ache. “Hey, hey, gently Prom,” he caught his hand, wincing slightly, and booped his own nose again at the right pressure before releasing it. “Like this, yeah?” His kid looked between his fist and Nyx and back again before, with a line forming between his eyebrows, he reached out again, tapping his hand against Nyx’s nose gently. “That’s perfect! You did great!” He cheered, smothering the giggling kid in kisses.

 

“Fatherhood suits you Nyx,” El commented with her usual sardonic smirk, but he could read the slight softening of her lips and the warmth hidden behind the amusement in her eyes and knew she meant it genuinely.

 

“Thanks,” he said, grateful for the unspoken reassurance there; he was fifteen and had no idea what he was doing and Tidemother damn him, but he loved this kid more than the stars themselves and he was so terrified of messing him up.

 

So the reassurance from someone who was basically his older sister, who had helped half-raise the many brats that passed through The Ship, helped. A lot.

 

“I thought the reason behind the rush on the papers was us taking a legal trip back,” he commented as he settled Prom back against his chest, changing the subject blatantly.

 

His oldest friend outside of Libs ran with it easily enough. “This _is_ a legal trip back.”

 

“Please, we both know that there’s no such thing as a _legal_ trip on The Ship.”

 

“Technically, this is the Storm’s Call.”

 

Nyx scoffed. They both knew that official name on the registry didn’t matter, the ship was The Ship to everyone who’d ever lived on it. “Same difference.”

 

“I have no idea what you mean Ulric, we’re a perfectly legal trading ship who just so happen to be ferrying a single father and his son back to the islands.”

 

“ _Trading_ , of course, I apologise.”

 

They grinned at each other; sharp knives hidden behind roguish smiles.

 

And then the moment was broken, sharpness hidden as if it never existed, and El hopped back onto the ship, hanging over the railing to raise an eyebrow at him. “You taking the ride or not Nyx? I’m sure one of the fishing ships would be happy to ferry you over at some point.”

 

He moved quickly to the gangplank, motivated by the thought of having to make the trip with his kid surrounded by the days catch, only to pause before stepping onto the deck.

 

“Permission to come aboard Captain?” He said, mock saluting.

 

El rolled her eyes. “Get your arse on my ship Ulric.”

 

“Don’t swear in front of my kid.”

 

* * *

 

Nyx bounced on his heels, resisting the urge to pace, and the smile on his face felt fixed and plastic.

 

“Calm down, brat.”

 

He jumped, eyes flying to Doc. “Is he okay?” He demanded, taking a quick step towards the woman who glared at him. Nyx shrank back into himself, shoulders rising sheepishly, feeling all of five again. “Sorry.” He muttered. “Is he okay?” he asked again, more quietly

 

The doctor, who had been on The Ship longer than he’d even been alive, sighed long-sufferingly. “I’m a general doctor, not a paediatrician.” She reminded him.

 

He really didn’t care. “But is he okay?”

 

“From what I can tell, physically this little guy is fine,” she poked his kid in the belly and Prom giggled, easily comfortable in the woman’s presence. Doc grinned down at him, teeth bright against dark skin, and poked him again. “You said you figured he was a little over a year, right?”

 

Nyx nodded, more relaxed now; that nagging fear that had been dogging his thoughts since he’d run from that lab easing off.

 

“Well, you weren’t far off. I’d put him at around 15 months, physical development wise, but again – I’m not a paediatrician.”

 

“You’re close enough,” he mumbled, wincing as she turned to look at him.

 

Doc narrowed her eyes. Nyx turned the Eyes on her, hoping they worked as well as they had when he was a kid. She raised an eyebrow. “Remember who helped your mother change your nappies, Nyx Ulric.” He winced again, pouting, his ears burning.

 

_Why did she always have to bring that up?_

 

“Developmentally,” she continued, satisfied that Nyx was cowed. “his speech is a bit behind where he should be for what we think is his age, probably due to how you found him, but his motor skills are a little ahead and he’s young enough that he should catch up fairly quickly. Otherwise, I’d say that Prometheus is a healthy toddler, though I’d suggest a visit to an _actual_ paediatrician and some blood tests to be certain.”

 

He slumped with relief, nodding in agreement. “I will.” Swinging his kid up onto his hip, he bounced Prom in his arms and listened to him giggle with a grin. “15 months, huh. That would put him as what – a late October baby?” He asked for confirmation, thinking.

 

“Mid-late October, possibly very early November, there’s no real way of telling if you couldn’t find any paperwork saying for certain. You have a birthday in mind?”

 

Nyx shrugged, a little uncomfortable at the shrew question, and turned to his son. “Late October. What do you say to sharing a birthday with your old man, little bird?” Prom smiled at him, waving Sparkle around enthusiastically. He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

A cleared throat drew his attention.

 

Doc was watching them with a small smile, holding a birth certificate that he recognised at his nana’s work. “The 25th of October then.” She didn’t ask if Nyx was sure, just scrawled **_25/10/736_** on the date of birth area of the certificate and then signed it.

 

“Congratulations,” she said, deadpan. “It’s a baby boy.”

 

* * *

 

Moments like these where why he loved the sea.

 

He felt it as the clouds had condensed, had smelled it as the power gathered and grew, had tasted as ozone charged the air, had heard as the song of chaos and order had begun to sing, and he’d warned the others even as he’d risen to stand on the deck and _watch_.

 

Rain splattered across the deck, the ship roiling with the force of the choppy waves, lightning bright against the near-black clouds filling the horizon. Thunder rumbled. Nyx sucked in a deep breath, tasting ozone and salt and fresh rain, and a smile spread across his face.

 

There was nothing like a storm at sea.

 

He tipped his head back, peering past the wooden shelter and basking in the wind that whistled in his ears and the sound of rain pounding on wood and the spray misting on the deck.

 

A part of him – the part with the Storm in his soul and lightning in his blood – longed to dart out there and _dance_ amongst the water.

 

The part of him that wanted to reach out to the clouds with everything he was and just _let go_.

 

But the warm body in his arms, curled against his chest, grounded him in much the same way that Libs’ hand on his back did – the same way that his mother’s arms around his shoulders and his sister’s hand in his own did.

 

Deep inside, a part of Nyx wanted to just step into the Storm and _become._

 

 ** _Storm-childe_** , the wind sang, the rain beckoned, the thunder demanded. **_One of Ours. Join us._**

 

Instead, he looked down at the small child in his arms, at his son who was staring at the sheets of rain with wide eyes, and that part of him settled back into place.

 

 _Home_ , that part of him whispered, warm and steady. _This is why we stay_ , it said, and the urge faded back to background noise, so quiet that he could almost pretend it didn’t exist.

 

Nyx breathed.

 

Awed blue stared up at him, tiny fingers tugging on his sleeves as Prometheus glanced between him and the storm, making a soft confused noise as thunder rumbled directly above them, and he smiled.

 

He lifted his kid until their faces were level, turning him so that he was facing the storm properly. “The Old Man is beckoning us home,” he murmured into Prom’s ear, just loud enough to be heard over the sounds of rain and thunder and creaking wood and crashing waves.

 

Reaching past him, past the boundary of their little shelter, Nyx held his hand into the rain – his sleeve quickly becoming soaked as icy water trailed down his skin, pale but striking against the dark sky.

 

Prom laughed, reaching out to copy him, touching the rain.

 

He grinned, his few teeth on display.

 

Nyx’s smile widened.

 

This was home.

 

* * *

 

The deck was bustling with activity and noise as they pulled into port: sails being pulled, and orders called across the deck, and ship hands moving swiftly from one point to another to complete tasks.

 

Nyx stood aside from the controlled chaos, standing away from everyone with Prometheus perched on his shoulders, gripping his braids tightly, so that tiny bodies were out of the way.

 

His kid was staring at it all, head turning to take everything in even as, every time someone smiled at him, he hid behind Nyx’s head and his chocobo, shy at the attention.

 

He smiled, watching as land grew closer and closer, breathing in the faint scents of spices and sand and just the slightest hint of jungle.

 

“Almost home now Prom,” he said, rubbing his thumb over his son’s knee. Prom giggled, squirming a bit in a way that made Nyx instinctively tighten his grip and finally coming out from his hiding place. “You ready to meet people?” Because he had no doubt that at least his grandmothers were there after they’d arranged all this.

 

A burst of babble.

 

“Of course they’re gonna love you little bird. You’re adorable.”

 

“’course he is,” El said, coming to stand beside him in a moment of calm. “He’s your kid Nyx.” She reached out slowly, booping Prom’s nose once again.

 

The kid reached back, over Nyx’s head, and booped her back gently; like he’d taught him.

 

El laughed.

 

Nyx blinked, trying not to coo at how adorable his kid was. “You know it doesn’t work that way?” he asked instead.

 

“Yeah, it does.” She shrugged, uncaring.

 

And, well. He couldn’t really argue with that.

 

“You ready to face the inquisition?” El asked, and she was laughing at him on the inside, he _knew_ it, but he still couldn’t help but grimace. Prom would be fine, yeah, he was adorable. But he had a whole load of ‘I told you so’s and teasing coming, and he could only get back at two of them.

 

“Is anyone?”

 

She laughed again, patting at his face condescendingly. “ _Good luck.”_

Then, she was gone, and Nyx was left standing there with his son and an aching cheek. “Why do I love her again?” he grumbled. Prometheus patted his head. Those around him stifled laughs.

 

He sighed but smiled as the gangplank was lowered and his best friend’s grumpy face came into view.

 

 _It was good to be home_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly shorter (average sized) chapter that doesn't include anything from the original plan for this fic, so yay me, i guess. the next chapter is _planned_ to be mostly family fluff in Galahd which means fleshing out ever more OC's but that I also get to start writing Nyx and Libs adventures in co-parenting, so there are pros and cons.
> 
> no promises on when that update will be though, I have a lot of other fics on the go and also a country to move (yay study abroad, why did I think this was a good idea again?) so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> anyway, hope you like it, tell me what you think, feel free to come scream at me on tumblr if you want


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